10 Dec White Paper: “Driving Diversity and Inclusion in Health Care Research and Access”
Washington DC, (December 10, 2021) – Today, the Health Equity Collaborative released a white paper titled “Driving Diversity and Inclusion in Health Care Research and Access – The Tools for Dismantling Structural and Social Inequities Faced by Underserved Communities”. A significant gap exists between the standard of health care currently available and accessible to patients and the standard of care the U.S. is capable of providing. The many root causes of health disparities in the U.S. require systemic changes to mitigate income inequality and provide access to resources in an equitable manner. Such causes require cross functional collaboration from policy makers, state, and local governments as well as grassroots-organizations and health care providers. This paper emphasizes the critical role health care organizations play in designing a more equitable system for underserved patients and communities.
“Advocates have long understood the gaps in coverage and care for the communities they serve, as well as the systemic barriers that prevent the health care system from adequately understanding the unmet needs of those communities. The Health Equity Collaborative is proud to present strategies for advocates to work with public and private partners to combat these health disparities through public policy and industry interventions to better serve those in most need,” stated Amy Hinojosa, President and CEO, MANA, A National Latina Organization, and Founding Member of the Health Equity Collaborative.
Outlining several policy recommendations to combat health disparities, the paper includes ground level solutions for equitable access to clinical trials and health care; grant funding for community-based health care services; reimbursement strategies for digital health formularies to expand access to care and inclusion in decentralized clinical trials; the issuance of guidance for stakeholders on encouraging diversity; and developing a decentralized and equitable health care ecosystem.
About the Health Equity Collaborative:
The Health Equity Collaborative is a national coalition of organizations that fights for underserved and underrepresented communities in the healthcare sphere. The Collaborative promotes health equity, diversity, and inclusion through an intersectional, holistic approach and fights for social justice and representation in the policymaking process.